Maria Dare Dance History Collection

In the 8th grade, my school’s principal called me to his office.  I remember his words as if spoken this morning.  He said, “Rozanne, you can be anything you want to be, but if you don’t choose some thing, you’ll be nothing at all.”  He wanted me to pick one thing and focus on it.  I spent the next 3 weeks soul searching.  Picking one thing meant giving up other things that I love, a price I was unwilling to pay.  So I have cycled thru life, focusing on one thing for a while then something else.  The only constant throughout my life has been ballet.  Now retired, I look back.  Life has been, thrilling, rewarding, filled with amazing people, beautiful sunsets.  Who could ask for more?

Maria Dare (1911-1997) was a dancer, choreographer and teacher of Ballet, Spanish, Flamenco, Mexican, Hulu, Character dancing.  Her career spanned more than 70 years.  She was most noted as owner of The Ballet House, one of the longest established studios, under same management, in Portland, Oregon.  Most of all she was a kind, caring, loving,  ethical person.  In addition to teaching dance, she demonstrated how to add years without growing old.

      Maria left behind a collection of choreography, class notes, music, photos, magazines, memorabilia dating back to the early 1900s.  Some of these are shared on Zandance pages..

 

 

Revised:  April 2022

Page by Rozanne of Zandance

email: connect.with.rozanne@gmail.com